


That One Story Where He's Romeo and The Other Guy's Juliet

by The_Inebriated_Literary_Virtuoso



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Bastardizing Shakespeare, Boys In Love, Camp-Half Blood is a mess, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Forbidden Love, Friendship/Love, Gen, Humor, Kissing, M/M, Multi, Rivalry, Romance, Romeo and Juliet References, The Author Regrets Nothing, demigod shenanigans, the play is the thing, theatre contest
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-30
Updated: 2015-08-05
Packaged: 2018-04-12 03:05:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4463108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Inebriated_Literary_Virtuoso/pseuds/The_Inebriated_Literary_Virtuoso
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"A high school Shakespeare club angrily splits into two groups when they can’t agree on the correct interpretation of Romeo and Juliet. One group thinks it’s a cautionary tale about the stupidity of youth and shallow lust; the other group think it’s a beautiful tragedy about poisonous hatred conquered by love. Reconciliation seems impossible- -then a person from one group falls in love with a person from the other."<br/>(Based off a post on tumblr)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Or How Apollo Let Everything Go To Hell

The chaos began the summer after the Giant War. Nico had stayed at camp, made himself and his room comfortable, and settled down. He had stayed as a year-round camper and when his friends left, he felt relieved that he had somewhere permanent to call home. While it didn’t feel like home for quite some time, it was all he could ask for. When summer came, Apollo was assigned as the new Camp Director and nothing happened the first few weeks, and Nico di Angelo had enough sense to be afraid. _Very_ afraid.

He was practicing his sparring with Reyna as Hazel watched on, when Jason came running towards them.

Nico furrowed his brow. “What? What is it?”

Jason let out a quick breath. “Apollo has an announcement to make in the center of the cabin grounds.”

They all exchanged glances with one another before running over to the cabin area. Once they had arrived, they looked around to find that all the other demigods had gathered around the hearth, with Apollo standing next to it. Nico gave a small smile to Hestia, who replied with a wink. He looked across the area to find the Apollo cabin members standing beside their father. When Will waved, Nico gave a small smile and attempted to hide the blush that rose to his ears. Beside him, Jason elbowed him and grinned conspiratorially. Annabeth and Percy appeared next to them after squeezing and shouldering past the other campers.

Nico just focused ahead as Apollo blew his trumpet to silence the mix of Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood members who stood muttering to each other.

“Very well, everyone, I have an announcement!” Apollo said with a wide grin. Jason almost had to look away, it was so blindingly bright.

Nico and Percy exchanged a look of wariness.

“It has come to my attention that while things are going slow, we might expand the arts!” Apollo seemed to be building up to his point. “We’ll be setting up a play! Romeo and Juliet: my favorite!”

The crowd broke out in mutinous uproar.

The Ares cabin, with Clarisse at its stead began to shout about participation and refusal of being involved in any way, the Aphrodite cabin was overcome with excitement with their squeals and shrieks of elation, and all the other cabins began to complain while others were laughing and grinning with happiness at the prospect of a play. Nico was worried and as he turned to his friends they all furrowed their brows; each obviously thoroughly confused.

Nico had meant to talk to Will about it, to ask why this was happening and why there was such a raucous upstart over this play, but his friends took him away from the fray before he could look for his favourite mess of blond hair.

 

They were all gathered in the arena, private practices had been scheduled so that the seven, along with Reyna and Nico, could practice.

“I just don’t understand what Apollo is playing at,” Annabeth said, her eyes glued to her computer while she spoke.

“Probably trying to get some kind of cheap entertainment in the form of pathetic little demigods while he’s stuck here,” Percy said, and Nico had to agree, because while he knew that Apollo could appreciate a good play, he was often very immature.

Piper shrugged as she continued to spar with Jason. “I dunno, I understand why he wants it.  Romeo and Juliet is sweet and romantic - we could use some of that here,” she reasoned, eyes locked with her boyfriend.

Reyna scoffed from where she sat beside Nico. “Bah!”

Before Piper could say anything else, though, a commotion began as a large group of campers flooded onto the arena grounds, led by Drew Tanaka.

“This is a private practice, Drew,” Jason said, eyes flitting to her.

She held up one hand, bored look on her face. “Save it, sweetie. Apollo says we’re going to hold the auditions here.”

“ _Auditions?_ ” Nico muttered, eyebrows shooting up.

Drew shot him a look that was filled with haphazard venom, “For the _play_ , di Angelo.”

Reyna frowned, “And _you_ intend to lead this play? Be its director?”

Drew nodded, proud smile tugging her pink lips. “Of course.”

Reyna sneered, giving the daughter of Aphrodite a small chuckle as she brushed past.

“Is there something you wanna say, daughter of Bellona?”

Reyna turned. “You know,  I really don’t understand why this play is so important. Of course Shakespeare was a revered son of Apollo, but Romeo and Juliet?  It’s basically just a cliche tale about the stupidity of youth and shallow lust. But then again, you are a daughter of Venus.”

She turned to leave, but to her surprise, Piper spoke up.

“That’s not true. Not _at all_. Romeo and Juliet is a beautiful tragedy about poisonous hatred conquered by love. Sure, it’s a simple message and all, but it’s a complex and gorgeous story.”

Reyna turned to her now, Drew standing beside her, nodding her head in agreement. Nico frowned, if Drew and Piper were agreeing on something, it probably meant that there were only bad things to come.

Reyna frowned. “Surely you both cannot be so blind as to see what this story really is. It’s a tale of teenage stupidity. Be serious.”

Piper frowned. “We _are_ completely serious. It’s much more than you’re giving it credit for.”

Reyna folder her arms and steeled her eyes.“Is that so?”

Piper frowned. “Just because you don’t understand Shakespeare-”

Reyna growled. “I understand literature. In case you didn’t know, it was the Romans who perfected it, McLean.”

The campers were now watching the two teens argue with rapt fascination and as Piper and Reyna’s voices began to raise in volume, Nico looked over to see Will standing across from him, golden hair and blue eyes practically _glowing_ under the warm sunlight. They smiled at each other, but were pulled away from their silent conversation as Piper and Reyna yelled simultaneously.

“Will!”

“Nico!”

Reyna gave Piper a fiery look. “We shall see how this plays out, daughter of Venus.”

Piper grimaced. “Yes, we will.”

Nico gave a sheepish shrug to Will and followed after Reyna, Apollo appearing just as the two girls stomped away in opposite directions.

“Ohhh! An acting contest! How exciting!”

Nico watched as Annabeth and Percy followed after Reyna, noticing that Piper looked offended that Jason hadn’t followed her as well.

Nico just knew this couldn’t end well in any way. Most of the Demeter cabin had sided with Piper while most of the Ares cabin had followed after Reyna. Soon all the cabins were divided, the Apollo, Demeter, Aphrodite, and Dionysus cabins having sided with Piper. As Reyna stomped away the Athena cabin, led by Annabeth, followed (with Percy in tow, naturally). The Ares cabins followed her lead in uniform as if her rage was one with their rage. The Hermes cabin followed closely behind her. Hypnos and Hecate cabins had both declared that they were neutral in the whole ordeal.

Jason stood in the middle of the arena, torn, and confused. Piper turned around and frowned at him.

“Jason?”

Jason sighed. “I-I’m not sure.”

Reyna turned as well, with Nico standing next to her and Jason believed her. Believed that stupidity was the moral of this play. Everything about this escalating situation was stupid.

Piper frowned. “Don’t you agree with me?”

Jason nodded. “No, I don’t. I’m sorry, Pipes, but I’m with them on this one.”

There were gasps from the Aphrodite cabin and Apollo was staring at the sky as though he was about to cry in joy.

Jason joined Nico and they both gave frowns. They walked away, and Piper frowned at their retreating backs.

She would show them, she thought, she would most certainly show them.

 


	2. A Plague! A Plague On Both Your Houses!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which lines are drawn and dynamics are explained. And in which both our group leaders continue their Montague-Capulet feud in Shakespearean proportions and Camp Half-Blood has gone to shit.  
> Don't forget to kudos and comment to let me know how you feel about the work! 
> 
> -Your loving author

Reyna and her group sat in the Hades cabin, much to the discomfort of Nico. It was not, by all accounts, a gloomy place, but it certainly had its air. It was the only cabin that was fairly empty and could house all the campers who had chosen to side with Reyna. Nico frowned at the idiocy of this entire situation. He was convinced that this was completely unnecessary, but he had decided that so long as this wasn’t hurting anyone, then he could just go along with it.

“So,” Reyna started, straightening her back, “the Hephaestus cabin is neutral territory, so they’ll build all the sets we need and we can go from there.”

Clarisse nodded. “Who’re gonna be our famous lovebirds?”

The entire room simultaneously looked at Percy and Annabeth.

Annabeth grimaced, glancing over at Percy before meeting Reyna’s gaze. “You’re not serious.”

In unison, as if the action had been planned, the campers nodded, and Annabeth got an uneasy feeling in her stomach. It hadn’t been the stage fright that had made her queasy. But she thought about all those people, and all the lines and an audience and she thought perhaps it might be the stage fright - just a little bit.

Percy reached for her hand and quickly made an excuse for the both of them.

“Sorry, I have stage fright, and Annabeth won’t kiss anyone who isn’t me.”

They all cursed but Reyna gave Percy a sympathetic look and directed her attention to Nico. His stomach filled with dread.

“Will you be Romeo if I’m Juliet?”

Matching the beating of his heart, Nico’s eyes turned frantic, He was nervous beyond belief. And Will Solace would see, and if he embarrassed himself he would never be able to look Will in the eyes again.

Reyna looked at him, eyes pleading, and whispered, “Please, Nico? For me?”

He nodded in agreement, with much regret, he would soon learn, and almost fainted. He hoped and prayed to all and any gods willing to listen that if he ever got through this, he would curse Apollo with the fury of many gods.

**  
**  


Will Solace didn’t understand how this play, this simple activity that was supposed to be fun and lighthearted,  had turned into a full-out civil war.

One minute he was imagining Nico di Angelo speaking in iambic pentameter and then the next thing he knew he was being dragged away, against his will, might he add. Will agreed with Piper about the meaning of the play, of course, but for something as petty as this, Will was very surprised everyone has stooped to this level. He only wanted to do the play because of his father. He thought that perhaps if he did this then maybe his father might notice that the cabin had been trying to be good enough for him. Will hated Romeo and Juliet when he read it. He thought that their love and complications were self inflicted - unnecessary, even.

“So, can you explain to me what is so great about Romeo and Juliet as characters?” He asked Piper as they sat alone looking over the play scripts.

Piper flashed him a small smile. “They’re both idiots. They love each other after knowing each other a day and I think that’s very important. Because they’re so stupid. And their devotion to each other. I mean, sure it was irresponsible, but sometimes people just want for others to just dive right into love for them.”

Will sighed, as he looked at the lines, thinking of Nico di Angelo and wondering what he thought when Will had left with Piper.

Piper spared a glance at him. “I take it you had someone in mind for the play didn’t you?”

He blushed. “Well, yes, but now. . . I’m not so sure.”

Piper put the pencil she was using behind her ear. “It’s Nico, isn’t it?”

Will sputtered them. “I-I, I mean, it’s not l-like-”

Piper put a hand on his shoulder and chuckled. “It’s okay. Daughter of Aphrodite here. I get it. It’s kind of my job to get it.”

Will nodded. “It’s just- we haven’t talked since last summer.”

Piper nodded. “And now with this mess you’re worried the summer will fly by and you won’t be able to?”

Will nodded silently and Piper frowned. “This will be over in two months. Apollo said he wanted it to be ready by the summer solstice. You’ll have plenty of time.”

Will said nothing as he focused back on the lines.

Piper smiled at him. “He feels it too, ya know?”

He shook his head. “How can you know?”

Piper just laughed. “It’s my job to know.”

Despite her words of assurance Will was not sure if he entirely believed her. Will had barely spoken to Nico the summer before. The summer had been consumed by their fight with Gaia and afterwards Will had barely had time to bond with Nico before the end of summer had arrived and he was on a plane back to Virginia Beach to see his mother and friends.

Will had Iris-Messaged him, had sent letters and postcards over the school year and on one very warm October day he had even called Nico. It had been dangerous, but Will was glad to hear that Nico was doing better. He had gone to school, incident free (thankfully), and on weekends when his mother would take him to the festivals and live music by the wharf near his mother’s beach house he wondered if Nico had ever seen the beach the way he had. Will thought a lot about Nico.

And then summer came along, and when Will had arrived on the opening day of summer camp Nico had waited by the entrance. Will had let out a breath he felt like he had been holding in all year long.  Nico, despite New York being cold in the winter, had more colour now. His olive skin now looked exactly that, instead of the sickly pale he had been when he spent his days in the infirmary. Will’s mind drifted a bit at the thought of Nico now, more filled in, as though the inactivity and the permanence of Camp Half-Blood had helped fill out Nico’s body into it’s most healthy form. A form which, unfortunately for Will, was noticeably attractive and tantalizing.

Now, Will could talk to him with ease, even if Nico rarely says anything, or just  gives sarcastic answers. Will knew, with a bashful certainty, that they were friends of a sort.

At dinner that night he sat beside Nico after giving his offers to the gods.

Nico groaned and turned to Will. “This rivalry is driving me mad.”

Will sighed as he began to eat. “Believe me, I know. But my father loves dramatics.”

Nico slammed his head against the table. “Your father. Oh gods.”

They ate in relative silence by themselves that night while Jason sat with Piper, attempting to do damage control.

Nico looked over at them and sighed. “This play is going to be a disaster.”

Will chuckled beside him. “Oh come on, it’s not that bad. I mean, sure, Capture The Flag for the next four weeks will be intense, but when isn’t it?”

Nico looked at him with a wary look. “I’m playing Romeo.”

Will gasped and Nico had expected him to laugh or giggle at the prospect of Nico di Angelo playing the lovestruck teen. But when he didn’t Nico felt relieved. He had been so worried about Will’s approval, trying to convince himself it didn’t matter, but in all honesty, it did. It mattered to Nico more than anyone else’s opinion besides Hazel and Reyna.

Nico looked over to see Will giving him a small smile while his ears were red and Nico wasn’t sure if that was good, but he decided if it wasn’t laughing, then it was okay. They wandered by the shore after dinner, watching the sun set. Will watched the light catch Nico’s eyes and thought that he wanted nothing more than to kiss him. But he just gave him a smile as they sat down at the dock until there was a ruckus a few meters away from them. Cecil called for Will and Will called him to where he was.

“What’s wrong?” He said, as Nico furrowed his brow beside him.

Cecil glanced between them and frowned. “The groups aren’t going to like this?”

Nico scoffed. “Like what? Us hanging out together?”

Cecil nodded. “Yeah, I guess. Especially after what just happened.”

**  
**  


It began when Clarisse and Katie Gardener crossed paths in the arena after dinner. The camp had been on edge for days since Apollo had made the announcement of an acting contest two weeks ago. The separation had been obvious and while Chiron certainly held reservations about how healthy it was that the camp had been split by the play but no one had gotten hurt.

That was. . . until that night after dinner.

Clarisse and Chris had been walking back to the Ares cabin when Katie and Lacy had been walking by. They whispered and Lacy had blushed and looked away in shame, but Clarisse had noticed the condescension in Katie’s laugh and the muttered curse. Before Katie could walk three steps Clarisse grabbed her roughly by the arm, to which Lacy responded to in panic.

Clarisse growled. “Did you just curse at us, Gardener?”

Katie merely batted her eyelashes. “I did curse, Clarisse.”

“Did you curse at _us_ , Gardener? Don’t test me, cereal girl. My patience is wearing thin.”

Katie looked at Lacy. “Do you think I’ll get out of this if I say yes?”

Lacy nodded rapidly and whispered, “No.”

Katie turned to speak to Clarisse in a clipped tone. “No, La Rue, I didn’t curse at you, but I did curse, La Rue.”

Chris frowned at her and unsheathed his dagger from his belt. “Do you got a problem, Gardner?”

Katie gasped and clutched her chest as if to mock them. “A problem, Rodrigez! No, Chris!”

Clarisse growled and unsheathed her weapon as well. “If you do, Gardener, I will knock you down a peg: I serve as good a woman as you in all of this.”

Katie laughed and made the ground around their feet ensnare them with vine. As soon as Clarisse yelled in rage as she easily hacked her way from the vines suddenly campers flooded from their cabins and from various areas of camp, just to see what had happened. Clarisse and Chris were making jabs at Katie and she worked well to dodge them but as Chris’s dagger caught her arm she yelped in pain. Lacy had stepped out of the fight in fear and ran to get the Camp Director and Chiron. That was when Apollo stepped in between their fight.

“Enough!” Apollo said. The ground shook with the force of his voice.

Apollo frowned and turned to the three offending campers. “What is the meaning of this?”

Reyna and Piper had appeared and frowned at them as Apollo chided them.

Clarisse spoke first. “Gardner was muttering curses and slurs as we walked back.”

Apollo frowned. “All this over a bit of words?”

Chris stepped in. “She’s only telling them to us because we sided with Reyna!”

As Nico and Will ran up the hill and he saw the glint of Apollo’s eyes Will got extremely uneasy.

Apollo stood beside them and turned to the whole of the spectators and decreed in a booming voice. “Both parties cannot engage each other unless it is in Capture The Flag. Those who engage outside of it will be disqualified from participating!”

And with a flash of light he was off to the other end of camp to deal with matters that  were certainly more important than this one. Will frowned and looked at the two theater group leaders as they turned their eyes to Cecil, Will, and Nico.

Reyna frowned. “Nico, come, we have preparations to be made!” She then turned to Piper and her eyes grew aflame with contempt. “Your campers better learn to respect mine. We have not invoked any anger from you, I expect the same courtesy.”

Piper nodded silently as she took Lacy and Katie away to be chastised. Reyna gave Chris and Clarisse a smirk before heading to the Hephaestus cabin.

Nico and Will glanced at one another forlornly before they were dragged away, their leaders cursing the other.

Travis and Connor Stoll were extremely bored. Sure there were pranks and there were things from the camp store they could steal, but that was overrated. Been there, done that. Now Travis and Connor were looking for prime entertainment. Lately everyone had been wound up because of the play. Travis didn’t much understand the big whoop and neither did Connor. There was nothing to Shakespeare but some stuffy pantaloons and words that barely anyone bothered remembering nowadays. But with this play came the golden opportunity. Travis and Connor saw Piper and Jason in a heated debate outside of the Aphrodite cabin. Just in a stroke of luck for Jason and feeling of goodwill towards men, Travis and Connor looked at each other in understanding before they ran off to the Hecate cabin, grinning the whole way.

When they barged in Lou Ellen frowned at them.

“Boys.”

She was no idiot, she knew that the only time they had ever come to her was when they had needed artillery or pranking material. She had been reluctant in the past simply because when things caught up with her and the Stoll’s shenanigans caught up with them, Chiron made her start from scratch as punishment. She’d had to redo Wart poultices more than enough times to resent them for it. And you would too if you had smelled the Wart poison.

Travis smiled sweetly at her. “Lou, my favourite Hecate cabin leader.”

She rolled her eyes. “The only one, Travis. What do you want? You Stolls’ only come when you need something to go terribly wrong.”

Travis and Connor gasped simultaneously. “You wound us,” they said in unison.

Lou Ellen tapped her foot against the deep purple rug that lined the interior of the cabin.

They sighed and looked at each other.

Travis shrugged. “See, we have a friend we need to help. He’s having some trouble and-”

Connor nodded. “-we need a love potion-”

“-so that we can fix his problems,” Travis finished.

Lou Ellen nodded.

“Sorry, I don’t do that kind of witchcraft.”

Travis groaned. “Oh come on, Lou! It’s to help a friend!”

Connor interjected. “A main amigo-”

Travis pleaded with his eyes. “A best bro-”

Connor turned his eyes on her too. “The closest of companions!”

She sighed as she reached into a chest in the corner next to her bed and pulled out a bottle with a pink liquid.

“I extracted this from a very special flower. Do. Not. Waste. It. And _be careful_. This is powerful magic. Now, what do you have for me?”

The twins grinned maniacally as they showed her a duffel bag filled with new gadgets.

She just hoped nothing too bad would happen with the potion of the heartsease flower in their hands. She should have known it would.

Travis and Connor Stoll waited until Leo was alone in his workshop.

“Hey, Leo,” they said in unison.

Leo shrieked, in a totally masculine way that had not been embarrassing whatsoever. “Holy Hades, you guys really gotta do that?”

“Yep,” they said again, wide, mischievous grins on their faces.

Leo had to guess that if they had inherited any physical traits from their father, Hermes, it would be the smile. That just looked like the grin of two boys who had stolen fifty cows from Apollo.

Leo wiped some sweat from his brow and looked at them. “What can I help you with?”

Travis looked at Connor and immediately Leo noticed the shift in their attitudes. Uh oh.

“Well see, the thing is, Leo-” Travis said.

“-we want to help your friend, Jason,” Connor finished.

Leo understood. His friends had been arguing ever since the beginning of this dumb rivalry. He just wanted everyone to stop being so thick skulled and get over it.

“What do you guys want me to do?” He said.

Travis grinned wide. “Well we have a potion to help them out a bit-”

“-all you have to do is put on Jason’s eyes and then when he sees Piper it’ll be instant love again,” Connor finished. Their eyebrows arched and their smiles held something beneath that mirth Leo felt inclined not to trust.

But he did.

“And what’s your price?”

Travis and Connor nodded proudly. “No charge. Consider it a ‘Coming Back From The Dead’ gift.”

Leo eyed the bottle they had pulled out of a bag.

Leo took it and nodded. “Okay. Thanks?”

He wasn’t sure if he’d been cheated yet, or perhaps was overly wary of the Stoll brothers. Especially after the toaster incident in which they had triggered toasters at breakfast to implode when toast was ready. Leo felt like he had every right to be on edge.

As they wandered off, exchanging a high five, he definitely felt suspicious of the contents in the bottle. He put it away and figured he’d use the gift later if things got worse. The Stoll brothers had seemed innocent enough in their proposal after all.

Things did, in fact, get worse for Jason and Piper.

Leo had taken a seat with them at breakfast and after listening to Piper and Jason’s tense silence, he left. The silence had been uncomfortable, because they obviously wanted their problems to be resolved, but this play had gone too deep, gotten too personal. By Jason choosing Reyna over Piper it had meant that he had done what Piper had always been afraid of. Leo never really understood what a metaphor was, but he was sure if there was any time that could be called one, it was now. Just with the hope that when Piper saw him things would be better, Leo snuck into Jason’s cabin, fearing that the harpies could sense him. He dabbed Jason’s eyes and ducked out once more. Leo wasn’t aware of what was to come, and the Stoll brothers had certainly not warned him.

When Jason woke up that morning it was to the sound of Annabeth knocking on his cabin door.


	3. The Armory Sees Too Much and Lou Ellen and Jack-asses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroes are in a jumble, everything is mess once more, and Lou Ellen must fix all the things that are broken.

Capture The Flag that night had been interesting, which was definitely the understatement of the century. Jason could barely contain himself when he saw Annabeth as he opened his door. He saw her and he was hit with a rush of affection that overwhelmed him. It was unnatural, somewhere in his subconscious told him that. He knew that what he was feeling for Annabeth was something someone had forced on him. It choked down any other emotion, stifling all logic and reason and replacing it with irrational love and admiration. against his better judgement he felt compelled to be around her, to not let her out of his sight. He’d followed her around, much to Percy’s annoyance. It was right before capture the flag that he grabbed Annabeth by the hand in the armory and had professed his love for her. She had looked at him as though he was trying to play a joke on her.

“Jason, you have Piper.”

“But I don’t want Piper! I want you!”

“I have Percy.”

“Percy! What does he have that I don’t?!”

“Well for one, he doesn’t have a girlfriend.”

“Piper? Consider it over.”

“Jason, are you all right? You seem not yourself.”

“There’s nothing wrong with me but that I have an undying love for you!”

Annabeth wretched free from him. “Let me go, Jason. I’m with Percy, and keep a low head until I can find out what’s wrong you. You would never do this to Piper.”

Jason growled as she walked away and resented Percy Jackson with all of his being. They were put into positions and he was grateful for his offensive position when Percy had a defensive position. Jason hacked his way through SPQR campers and Camp Half-Blood campers just to reach Percy. It was not even twenty minutes into the fighting when he arrived to the clearing by the creek where Percy stood by the flag.

Percy frowned. “Jason?”

Jason turned to him and growled. “You’re the reason that Annabeth rejected me!”

Percy held up his hands. “Whoa man, what?”

Jason pointed his sword at Percy. “It’s because of you that she won’t love me!”

“Okay, wait, what the hades? I am pretty sure you’re mixed up dude. You love Piper, remember?” Percy reasoned, while holding his hands up in immediate surrender.

Jason groaned loudly in frustration. “Why does everyone keep saying that?! I love Annabeth!”

Percy frowned, “Sorry man, but someone must have slipped you something. Annabeth and I, we’ve been an item for a while. Nothing’s gonna change that.”

Percy knew there was something off about the entire thing, Jason was acting volatile, erratic, unpredictable. If he didn’t know any better, Percy would accuse him of acting just like Zeus.

Jason growled. “I’ll defeat you at capture the flag and then she’ll love me!”

When he lunged for percy he was lucky enough that he was able to dodge. Jason’s sword was buzzing with electric charge, sparks flying. Percy knew when Jason’s eyes began to thunder that there was certainly something wrong.

Jason let the wind lift off the ground.

Percy frowned. “This isn’t you, Jason. You know this isn’t you.”

The sky above Jason thundered. “I will defeat you, son of Poseidon!”

At which point Percy Jackson dove into the creek, creating a shield around him. He emerged from the water a few minutes later. Now he was starting to get angry.

“Jason, stand down. I don’t know what your problem is, but it’s not my fault.”

“Annabeth would love me if it wasn’t for you!” And Jason hurled lightning at him, nearly killing him, but the thick shield of frozen water he’d used deflected and hit a nearby tree.

The sound of rain and thunder and lightning crackling drew the attention of the teams at Capture The Flag and Chiron was the first to show up.

Percy frowned and looked at Jason head on. “I’m sorry Jason, but this is for your own good.”

Just like that water was surrounding and swallowing Jason whole. He struggled to breathe, but eventually blacked out and when he did Percy let the water gently lay him by the riverbed.

Chiron picked up his unconscious body and put him on the gurney. Nico emerged just in time to see Will carry away Jason, who was strapped down. Will gave him a rueful smile. Nico followed after to make sure Jason was okay.

“What happened?” Chiron asked.

Percy looked back at where Jason had been laid down on the riverbed and frowned. “Something’s wrong with him. Something happened.”

Annabeth went forward. “He thinks he’s in love with me.”

Reyna and Piper ran up to the front of the crowd gathered and Piper frowned.

“What happened to Jason?”

Chiron looked at her sadly. “It would seem that Jason is in love with Annabeth, my dear.”

Piper looked at Annabeth accusingly, but the blonde just shook her head. “No. There’s something wrong. Look at his eyes when you examine him, the ring around the pupils is pink. something is wrong.”

Chiron frowned. “This must be the work of magic.”

The entire Hecate club looked around confused, but Chiron figured he’d question them after this mess was sorted. But before he could get a word out Piper had turned to Reyna, furious.

“Why? Why would you bring Jason and I into this? He’s on your side!”

Reyna knew how much it must have hurt to say those words. Reyna had long since gotten over the idea of Jason ever returning to her, and she had been fine with that. But she knew Piper’s anxiety, knew how she feared that because of a trivial contest she would lose Jason. But in truth Reyna knew it was more than that, she feared that she had never really had Jason in the first place.

Reyna frowned. “I fight fairly, daughter of Venus. Fairly and _without magic_. It is the rule of contests in Ancient Rome.”

Piper sneered. “Like the Romans ever followed that rule.”

Reyna glared at her. “Do you want my solemn oath?”

Piper nodded, folding her arms across her chest.

Reyna glared at the entire crowd, even Chiron, who watched sympathetically. “I swear on the Greek River Styx that I, Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano, never permitted the use of magic on our adversaries for the contest. Maybe Jupiter strike me down if I am lying.”

When nothing happened Piper’s face fell and Reyna continued to glare at her.

“Are you satisfied, daughter of Venus? I had thought perhaps we knew each other and respected each other well enough to believe that I would never dishonor this contest by _cheating_.”

When she stomped off with her entire team in tow Chiron left to go to the infirmary and Piper drudged back to her cabin, wondering why anyone would need for Jason to fall in love with Annabeth Chase, and resenting her just a little bit for it.

**  
**  


Lou Ellen was going to _kill_ those Stoll brothers.

She marched straight into the Hermes cabin and when she saw a group of unclaimed and Hermes kids sitting she glared as hard as she possibly could, green eyes flaring with magic older than any of them.

“The Stoll brothers.”

They all pointed to the back of the cabin where campers were buying items off limits.

She pushed through and eyed them both. “Outside. Now.” and with that she stomped out of the cabin, leaving a few magic stink bombs for a little gift later.

The brothers looked at each other and gulped.

When they arrived outside she was standing a little ways away from their cabin, but mostly covered by the shadows the cabin casted as the sun was setting on the day.

She punched them both in the face. To which they both groaned as they clutched their faces.

“I told you to be careful, to not waste it, and what do you do?! You make two of the big three children fight to the death for a _girl_! Not to mention a girl one of them happens to be dating! You’re idiots!”

Travis Stoll frowned. “We left it to Leo Valdez-”

“We thought he could do for us without any problems.” Connor finished, still rubbing his face. She hoped they would bruise.

“Idiots! You don’t hand a potion that powerful off to some kid to deal with it! I told you specifically to handle it yourselves! _Boreíte vlákas gioi tou kentáv̱rou!_ ”

The Stoll brothers frowned. “Hey!” They said in unison.

She glared at them. “Actually, to make that more accurate: _Échete ta af̱tiá gaïdárou na ekproso̱peí to láthos sas._ ”

“Oh no.” Travis frowned.

And before they knew it their ears were replaced with the ears of ass.

“Very Shakespearean-” Travis said.

“Seems like you’re getting into the camp spirit.” Connor finished with a smile.

Lou Ellen sighed and left to the infirmary to fix their mistake. And also give Leo Valdez a little gift that night. She was walking away and Connor looked at his brother.

“She’s something, isn’t she?”

“Fiery-” Travis provided.

“Attractive fierceness.” Connor finished.

They watched her pass by the Big House and that’s when they began to see everyone laugh at them.

Travis twitched his ears proudly.

Jason and Nico sat the Big Three table while Annabeth and Percy sat at the other end of the dining pavilion during breakfast the next day. Jason glared but he’d been satiated since yesterday and everyone prayed he would be okay. Jason pined after Annabeth when Will appeared and took a seat next to Nico.

He looked at Jason’s untouched food and frowned. “You should eat something, Jason.”

Jason sighed, thinking that he didn’t need anything but Annabeth’s love.

Nico turned to Will and smiled. Through his love addled brain the rational Jason emerged and noticed how Nico was looking at Will. The reasonable Jason would have grinned at them knowingly and winked. But the Jason in charge was jealous.

“You know, you guys shouldn’t be hanging around with each other. It’s not smart.”

Will frowned. “Why?”

Jason shrugged. “The rivalry. Reyna and Piper have set guidelines this morning. No fornicating with the enemy until the play is over.”

Nico and Will looked at each other with worried expressions but Jason just shooed him away.

“You better get going, Solace.”

He rose from his seat but not before waving goodbye to Nico.

Nico spent his afternoon unfortunately helping kids with the pegasi. He hadn’t minded the new campers. They reminded him of those days before Bianca when he was overzealous and excited and being around them made him feel a bit of that again. The kids hadn’t been the problem, it had been the horses. The horses were always jumpy around Nico, with good reason he supposed, but it was hard to teach new campers how to ride one when they whinnied and neighed in disdain every time he tried to mount one. When that was finished he went to the infirmary to see Chiron about switching to training, but instead was greeted by Will.

He stopped in place and was about to turn around due to nervousness before Will waved at him.

“Hey, Nico! Here to help?”

Nico had been so distracted by the color of the sun shining down on Will’s hair, which practically glowed inhumanly, that he only stammered. Thankfully Will had saved him part of the embarrassment and tugged him by the wrist closer.

“Great! You can patch up Sophia. She got burned by the lava. You can patch people up, right?”

Nico nodded and looked down at the girl who eyed him warily. He set to work with the supplies while Will moved around him, working fast as lightning.

When Nico was done he simply stood, watching Will move. The infirmary seeming to form to the shape of Will’s movements. Nico felt almost as though it was too much, watching Will move in a way that resembled the movements of a dancer who had been dancing their entire life. It was a sight to behold and he had been so entranced he hadn’t even noticed the person who had moved beside him.

“He’s brilliant, isn’t he?” Apollo said.

Nico jumped almost out of his wits. But after a moment he looked back at Will and nodded.

Apollo grinned. “I wish I could say he got that from me, but Mina was always a better healer than I was, and an even better dancer. Mina’s his mom, by the way. One hell of a woman.”

Nico had nothing to say, so he nodded again.

Apollo led Nico away, to the area right outside of the infirmary. When they stood there, looking at each other, Nico was surprised by how much Will looked like Apollo.

Apollo looked back as though he could see through the doors. “You like him.”

Nico sputtered. “I-I . . . I d-don’t -”

Apollo held up a hand. “Save it. Had my fair share of lovers, gods on Olympus only knows how many, not all of them women. Look, just be careful, kid. Will’s a good person.”

Nico looked back. “I don’t think you have to worry about that.”

At those words Apollo grinned. “Sure, di Angelo.”

Apollo winked at him. “I don’t have to tell you that if you do anything that hurts Will I’ll turn you into a hyacinth.”

Nico sighed, muttering to himself. “What is with you gods and flowers?”

Apollo strolled away from him, whistling a beautiful tune as Will emerged from the infirmary.

“There you are! I thought you had left.”

Nico rolled his eyes. “Still here, Solace.”

Will grinned at him, and Nico would have given anything to understand what that glint in Will’s eyes meant. “Great. Now come help me stock?”

Nico gave a long suffering sigh, but followed behind him with ease.

They stocked and when they finished, while everyone had still had training, they headed back to cabin thirteen.

Nico lay down on his bed, made of wrought iron, with cleaner, softer sheets than before. Will sat on a bed adjacent from him.

“Why are there more than two beds in here?” He asked, looking at the three beds lining the walls.

“One of them was for Bianca.” Nico said.

His tone was clipped, but not harsh. He had tried to forget the hurt that kept company to his memories of Bianca. Be better, not bitter. That was the mantra he had told himself for years and now, after this second war and all the new friends he had made, he believed he was getting there.   

Will looked at him, eyeing him cautiously. He knew about Bianca. When Nico had arrived to camp a few years ago he had remembered the muttering, the whispers about _children of Hades_ and _death freaks_. He only remembered her simply because he had seen them together and even when he was younger he was fascinated by the boy who would show his cards to anyone who would listen. Will still remembered how he had spent a small part of that first winter at Camp Half-Blood trying to learn Mythomagic with Nico. They had laughed, Will had enjoyed the energy of someone who was so overzealous. Those had been good days-- until  Percy had come back. Until Nico had run away. Will thought maybe Nico had forgotten that part of the winter, so he didn’t say anything.

Instead of that, he said simply, “I have a little sister.”

Nico looked up at him from his position on his own bed. He hadn’t known that.

In all honesty Nico knew very little about Will. Nico knew that Will had listened to him when he talked about his family and his life, and even the few personal things he had told him last summer, but Nico had no idea about Will. He had no idea about the life Will lived outside the walls of camp.

“Really?”

Will nodded and smiled. “She’s a demigod too. I guess Apollo just couldn’t resist.”

Nico noticed the way his eyes held contempt. “What’s wrong?”

Will looked at him and for the first time in all the time he had known him Nico saw Will smile in a way that didn’t completely reach his eyes.

“I just wish she had been born normal. Kids shouldn’t live like we do.”

Nico looked down and nodded. He knew all too well how that felt. He was a prime example of it.

Will shrugged and his lighthearted tone was back.

“It’s okay. She’ll be here next year, and then the fun can begin.”

Nico shook his head, still looking down. He wrung his hands, both in anxiety and frustration.

“Why do you do that?”

Will frowned. “What?”

Nico looked up at him and his eyes looked pained, but there was a touch of sympathy there.  “Why do you act like things don’t hurt you?”

Will was taken aback by the question, he’d never heard Nico ask such personal questions, but he shook it off and shrugged.

“I’m a healer. I have to be strong.”

Nico’s eyebrows furrowed together even closer and Will noticed he was almost shaking.

“Don’t equate being hurt and having _feelings_ to being weak, Will.”

Will nodded. “I don’t. Why does this bother you so much? You're one to talk, death boy.”

Nico didn’t say anything for a moment, until he just stood quickly. Will was overcome with that small impulse in the back of his mind that told him that he couldn’t let this go; couldn’t let Nico go.

“Nico.”

Nico spun around fast and Will was almost scared of the fierceness in his eyes.

“I care because you’re brilliant, Will! I care because you’re always too selfless and strong and brilliant, and you have to feel the bad things. And you don’t let yourself do that because you’re so busy taking care of everyone else you don’t take care of yourself!”

That was by far the largest amount of words Nico had ever said to Will consecutively and all he had gotten was, “You think I’m brilliant?”

Nico threw his hands into the air. “Of all the things to take away from that. Holy Hades, you’re thick, Solace.”

Will slowly grinned at him. “You think I’m brilliant.”

Nico blushed and shrugged. “Yeah, and?”

Will threw his arms around Nico, who grunted at the forced, but quickly returned the favor. Will just smiled at the contact.

“No one’s ever told me that before.”

Nico just sighed, trying to commit the smell of sunshine, citrus, and oceanspray to memory. “People are idiots, Sunshine.”

Will clutched the fabric of Nico’s shirt tighter, a wide smile hidden in the crook of Nico’s neck. When asked later Will Solace will tell everyone that the moment Nico realized how the light didn’t touch his eyes, he fell in love. He fell in love with those broken pieces of themselves that they had tried to repair.

When Will left Nico’s cabin three hours later his voice was hoarse. It had been scratchy from all the talking they did. Nico had listened for such a long time as Will talked. He talked about the sea, and the house by the ocean. It had been hard on Nico to listen to that part, reminding himself of Percy Jackson, but Will had waved his hands to portray the emotions he was trying to convey and Nico was entranced by his passion. Nico was completely taken with the way Will tried, inadequately, to explain what it was like by the ocean, in that house by the sea. Nico had listened to him go on for so long about his sister and how when they opened the windows it smelled of sea salt and the only noise they heard during breakfast was the seagulls by the shore. Nico grinned as Will went on about his theory that Apollo had blessed his mother because it rarely rained, but sunshine was guaranteed. Nico forgot all about Percy and slowly his brain began to associate that sea salt smell to Will and how a month into camp he still smelled like the ocean. Nico listened to Will go on about the music festivals and the crab shacks and the cafes and suddenly his eyes were wide. Nico loved watching Will when he talked about his mom and sister and his life back home and his friends. Nico loved the blue eyes that got even brighter and he couldn’t remember a time when he had listened to so many details. And cared about them too. Nico couldn’t remember a time, besides those years spent with Bianca, when he had been around other people simply for the sake of company. But with Will almost falling over the bed in excitement and grinning as he went on and on about things Nico could never understand, it felt good, it felt warm. Nico watched Will go on about the antics of his friends back home and he couldn’t tell if the feeling in his chest was indigestion or love. Will laughed with a small snort and Nico was sure it was love.

Will had talked and talked and talked and Nico would give him these wide smiles that Will knew were reserved for the privacy of friends, and when no one was looking. Will knew if he pointed them out they would be gone, but he knew to appreciate them, to commit them to memory, and try to make Nico as happy as possible.

When Will heard his brother Austin calling he had gotten up quickly, looking at the clock. He could not believe he had spent so long talking. and about himself too. It had been okay, Nico assured him, to talk and air frustrations. Nico had looked at him different, he just knew, there was something else in his eyes when he stared at Will and they both knew it.

But Austin called again and he ran out of the cabin, hoping not to get caught, and when Austin called him and found him he pulled him away to look over scripts with Piper.


	4. Romance In Order Because Who Could Forget That For A Shakespearean Writing?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Reyna is a lesbian, Will serenades his feelings of love, and romance finally blooms.

At the campfire that night Will saw the fire as it glinted off of Nico’s eyes and lit his smile. Will wasn’t sure if it had been his laugh and the quiet snort that came after or the slow build from last summer, but when he looked at Nico di Angelo he realized he was overcome with this warm, fluttering feeling in his stomach. After the campfire, when everyone had gone to bed, as they met by the dock Nico smiled at him and Will was so sure the build up could never match up to the reality that he was in love with Nico.

He pulled out a ukulele and they sat on the dock and the water rippled back and forth. Will began to play a song he’d heard that spring at a concert. He hoped that the point would get across. But he was mostly scared of what Nico would say after, scared that Nico would run away. He took the leap, so tired of holding in something he hadn’t realized had bubbled over until he’d seen Nico laugh in the light of the campfire.

“I’m not really sure how to do this, but I need you to know something.” Will said softly.

Nico nodded. “Go ahead.”

Will let out a heavy breath. “Right, okay.”

“ _Wise men say only fools rush in_ ,” Will began, softly strumming, “ _but I can’t help falling in love with you._ ”

Nico took in a breath. Will couldn’t be talking about him, could he? His chest tightened as Will spared a glance at him, seemingly too nervous to look him in the eye.

“ _Shall I stay?_ ” Will looked at him this time, straight into his eyes, as if he was looking for something, and Nico prayed to the gods he found it, “ _would it be a sin if I can’t help falling in love with you?_ ”

“ _Like a river flows, surely to the sea_ ,” Will smiled at Nico, “ _darling, so it goes, somethings were meant to be._ ”

Nico blushed from his toes to his ears and he hoped that the pale moonlight didn’t give away a single thing. As Will stared out at the Long Island Sound Nico found that sunlight made Will approachable, but moonlight made Will beautiful. His hands trembled as they held the ukulele, which only served to make Nico believe that they were equally nervous. Not to mention the trouble they would be in if they were caught by Reyna or Piper, or anyone from the divided theater groups, for that matter.

“ _Take my hand, take my whole life, too._ ” Will smiled at him softly.

As Will’s fingers fumbled Nico could feel the hammering in his chest transform into something new. It was new, but it also felt like Nico had felt this before, had felt it a million times in a million years.

“ _‘Cause I can’t help falling in love with you_.”

Nico was sure he couldn’t either.

They looked at each other, breaths away, sitting on a small wooden dock. The camp seemed unnaturally still as they moved forward, as if the perpetual motion of their attraction was a force stronger than the gravity weighing them down. They kissed and something inside of Nico bloomed, bloomed fiercely, brightly, rapidly.

When Reyna looked out of her window, seeing two boys dancing hand in hand on the dock with the moonlight casing silhouettes, she saw no reason to point it out.

 

* * *

 

 

Lou Ellen snuck out early that morning with a magic cloak her mother had given her when she’d been claimed. She moved through the shadows like she’d seen Nico do countless of times.

She moved slowly and climbed through Cabin number one and ran up to Jason Grace’s bed and hoped it would work. She spread the potion over his eyes once again and ducked out just as quickly as she had come. She sat outside his cabin and waited, keeping a vigilant eye over everyone that passed and then Piper showed up, nervously pacing outside the door.

Lou Ellen muttered a curse to make the cloak invisible and moved forward. She shoved her forward and closed the door quickly. When Jason awoke to the sound of a surprised gasped he saw Piper across the room from him. She heard their talking and eventually she heard the silence after apologies and confessions. She sighed. She would never send boys to do a job she wanted done ever again. _Especially_ not the Stoll brothers.

She waited until the next night and used what remained of her potion and rubbed it over the Stoll brothers’ eyes. She grinned evilly to herself at the thought of Travis Stoll falling in love with a harpy at the morning routine.

When Reyna saw Jason and Piper in the arena and they are actually enjoying one another she had turned as quickly as possible but they called her over.

She had gotten over her rejection by the winter time, but after being falsely accused after trying to hard to forget the past she and Jason had shared once it was too much. She walked forward slowly, regretting every step that drew her closer.

Piper straightened and walked forward.

They stood several feet apart, Reyna ramrod straight and her face completely neutral.

“I owe you an apology.”

Reyna looked at her, taken aback for a moment. “What?”

Piper nodded. “It was wrong of me to instantly accuse you of something, plus I know you fight fair. I just, I was worried. I’m so sorry.”

Reyna nodded. “I accept the apology.”

Piper gave her a small smile. “Wanna create a truce? Things stay on the battlefield and no more?”

Reyna looked at the olive branch she had offered in the form of her hand and Reyna took it, hoping that things didn’t get worse.

**  
  
**

One month left and the entire camp was a madhouse. Capture The Flag had been replaced by rehearsals, the Stoll brothers seemed as though they would be fashioning those donkey ears until the end of summer, and while things were unbelievably tense at least the groups had fun by themselves.

Will had no idea why, as the head medic and leader of the Apollo cabin, he was even participating in the play. But he looked over at Nico laughing as Jason splattered paint on him and realized not only did their cabin have to do this for their father, but because he was willing to do anything to be closer to Nico. Especially after Nico gave him a small grin from across the arena and Will’s heart seized just a little at the sight.

Will was brought away from Nico’s attention when a group of Aphrodite girls and Drew Tanaka stood in front of him, looking down at him as he nailed things for the set.

Drew grinned, “Just the person we’re looking for.”

Will sighed. “What do you want, Drew?”

Lacy, beside her, spoke up. “We want to help you find someone. You know, to date.”

Will immediately frowned. “Not interested. I heard about what you did with campers before. No.”

Lacy stepped forward. “Please, Will. We swear it’s just to get you in a relationship and then we’ll stop. Unless you tell us otherwise.”

Will frowned. “I’m not interested. Besides, I’m kinda seeing one.”

Drew waved off his words. “Kinda means this person is afraid of commitment, let’s find you a real beau.”

Will glanced at Nico, worried that perhaps he’d consider it because he couldn’t afford to get caught with Nico. The rule of no fornication had stayed in place and Will and Nico had been close to being caught a handful of times. Even Piper and Jason rarely talked, but that had been simply because she was too busy with the play.

He nodded his head. “I’ll think about it. Until then, please leave me alone.”

Drew sighed. “Fine. But your acting partner Malcolm, I have on good authority, likes you. And wouldn’t it be amazing if Romeo and Juliet had amazing offscreen chemistry too?”

When the camp had split the other group had gone with the traditional pairing but Piper and Drew had agreed that with a boy and boy pairing there was a lot more context to explore. They had changed a few things to fit the pairing, but all in all it was an innovative idea that Apollo had loved.

When they were assigning parts Malcolm had volunteered to be Romeo, which had been fitting. He was older, with a very commanding presence, and they had given it to him right on the spot despite him being a child of Athena. The Apollo cabin had pushed Will into auditions and everyone had loved his performance. When he got back after the audition he noticed he had a slight golden tint on his skin and he looked over to the doorway to see his father wink at him. Having the blessing of Apollo certainly hadn’t hurt.

Malcolm had made passes sure, but Will had ignored them, hoping that Nico hadn’t minded. Will liked Malcolm. He was confident, kind, and smart in more ways than one. But he wasn’t Nico, and Will didn’t want anyone but Nico.

That night when they sat beside the dock Will looked at Nico nervously.

“Can I ask you something?”

Nico nodded, looking confounded.

“Well, no rush, or anything, but we’re together, right? Like, together together?”

Nico thought for a moment and smiled. “No, Will. I always sneak out with my best buds and make out in moonlight.”

Will gave him a chuckle and shoved him a bit. “Don’t start, di Angelo. I was just making sure.”

“Why?”

Will frowned and looked at Nico with pleading eyes. “First you have to promise you won’t do anything stupid.”

Nico frowned as he rolled his eyes. “Will, when have you known me to do something stupid?”

Will grabbed him by the wrists. “Nico. Please.”

Nico sighed and held his hand up. “I, Nico di Angelo, swear not to do something stupid.”

Will nodded and looked tentatively at him before quietly saying, “Malcolm asked me out and Drew and her sisters are trying to set me up with him.”

For a moment Nico’s face was blank, completely apathetic, but then he chuckled and turned to look out at the lake.

“You’re an idiot, Solace. I don’t have anything to be worried when I already have you.”

Will grinned at him. “Really?”

Nico turned to him and Will would never got over the simple fact that he wished Nico smiled more.

“Take your hand and your whole life, wasn’t that what you said?”

Will laughed and brushed his thumbs over the skin of Nico’s palms. They smiled at each other and something about the simple act made Will wish he could hold Nico’s hand in the light of day. Will wondered what it would be like to kiss Nico with the sun radiating down on them, showing Nico bathed in sunlight. But Will was aware that it wouldn’t last much longer. And seeing Nico smile at him, doing exactly as Will had asked, taking his hand, his heart, and his whole life was something Will found incredibly easy to cope with. It was easier to cope with when Nico gave easy, sincere smiles and light brushes against lips in the moonlight. “It sure was.”

Nico cornered Malcolm three days later.

Now, when questioned Nico will deny whatever allegations are made against him, but his presence in the mostly empty armory had been undeniable to Malcolm.

Malcolm was polishing armor and swords when Nico breezed in. The air had gotten stiller and Malcolm immediately knew what this was about.

“Here to threaten me to stay away from Will?” Malcolm called.

Nico stayed in a corner, covered in the casted shadows. “Not here to threaten. It’s a promise.”

Malcolm sighed. “Don’t take it personally but I’m sure Will wouldn’t have too much chemistry with you.”

Nico smirked. “Why is that?”

Malcolm turned to him incredulously. “Are you kidding me? You are the son of Hades, he’s the son of Apollo. Plus, I’m sure we’re having great chemistry on stage.”

“Really?” Nico asked, with an amused quirk of his brow.

“Yeah really, and I think I can have him calling me his boyfriend by the end of this month.”

Nico moved forward, the shadows seeming to bend with him as though they followed their master.

“Listen, Malcolm. I’m warning you that Will won’t be doing anything with you. So just back off, for your own good.”

Malcolm leaned forward. “Why does this mean so much to you? I mean, you barely talk to anyone at camp anyway?”

Nico narrowed his eyes. “Just back off. Last warning.”

Malcolm turned back slowly to his work and Nico wondered if he could get away with knocking Malcolm upside the head with a club.

“We’ll see,” said Malcolm, calmly.

At first Reyna found it fairly easy to deal with the feud. She found that doing things in competition was somewhat of a talent of hers. She didn’t talk to Piper as much as a result of the competition, but it had become fairly certain to her that even with the plays being set up, everyone had been paired off.

She looked over to see Nico grinning at Will, son of Apollo, from across the arena as they practiced. She knew about the no fornication rule. In truth she hadn’t proposed that, it had been a rule set by their groups. Percy and Annabeth had asked them for it, to separate the romance and complications of competition to avoid another fight. It had made enough sense and when they proposed it to Piper and Drew they had agreed immediately.

Reyna looked over to see Will blush and look away, and she turned to Nico.

“Nico, we need to talk.”

He whipped around in surprise. His eyes darted in a way that meant he knew he had been caught.

She dragged him away to seats that were far from all the others as they worked. She looked down at everyone working and couldn’t help but notice that it was all the same, everything seemed the same.

“I know.”

He looked at her. “W-what?”

She sighed as she looked at one of the many blondes from the Apollo cabin.

“I know about Will Solace, Nico.”

He gulped. “Am I, I mean, am I in trouble?”

She let out another sigh. “That depends. Why didn’t you tell me?”

He looked at Will, laughing, and covered in paint and found that explaining it was more difficult than it should have been.

“You and Piper made the rules very clear.”

She frowned at him. “Arbitrary rules shouldn’t get in the way of you being happy.”

He nodded and looked at her. “You really aren’t one to talk.”

She looked taken aback but he just continued.

“I heard what the goddess said. That a demigod won’t claim your heart. I know that you stop trying after that.”

Reyna took a moment before she answered.

“I have my position as Praetor to worry about, Nico.”

He curled his fists in frustration. “That can’t be all that means something to you, Reyna. You and I both know that it’s keeping you from the things you want.”

Reyna sighed. “You’ve always known me quite a bit more than I cared for anyone to.”

He gave her a small smile, a smile he hoped assured her that she would be okay. “It was that bond. I think some of it stuck.”

Reyna looked out at all of Camp Half-Blood. It was so different from Camp Jupiter, but in ways it was the exact same. Some things were different but most of the things that were similar struck something in her. Over the last summer after the war she had left for months. She had left and in her time away she traveled throughout California. It had been an experience, one she enjoyed and loved to remember. There had been people, and there had been a quest and she had someone she couldn’t forget.

“I met someone.”

Nico looked at her in shock. “Who?”

She turned and gave him a sad sort of smile. “She was a girl I met in San Francisco.”

Nico stared at her, his eyes telling her to continue.

“She was a Hunter of Artemis. But she asked to leave the group.”

Nico grinned.

Reyna looked down at the plays, the stages set because things had separated, begun to go deeper than intended. The plays stood for much more than their ideals, it stood for things to be fought for.

“She’ll be coming to see us.”

Nico watched her look at the construction of their stage and he knew she was talking about the girl.

“She’ll love it.”

Reyna wrung her hands and looked at him, eyes showing an honest worry. “I am scared.”

For all their fighting, and strength, and courage, Nico understood what it felt like to be scared. He knew how it felt to feel a blooming in your chest that you couldn’t control and watch it change everything for you. The idea that the things that changed you could not always be safe, it was a terrifying kind of loving. It was difficult to understand how hard it was to not be scared. Because they were demigods, death had become as secondary and natural as breathing. It had become as lingering and permanent as the shadows that followed them. She wasn’t scared for the normal reasons, she was scared because she had no idea how to love. Nico understood it perfectly. She had no idea how to let those natural feelings flow through her because there had been Jason, and there had been Percy, and she had been so alone before then. And she could be alone again. But he reached out for her hand, reached for her hand to give affirmation that fear was natural.

He looked at her and his eyes darted to Will and he nodded. “I think you’d be an idiot if you weren’t.”

She gave a soft chuckle and continued to stare at the stages as they came together. Puzzle pieces to a puzzle that would be completed in chaos.

* * *

Hazel had visited camp the week before the play as everyone had been running around frantically setting things up. Frank and Dakota had stayed at camp for the entire ideal as a favor to Reyna but as she walked among the campers she could see why. Were those _real_ donkey ears? Younger campers were dragging costumes and food and make up back and forth. She watched them struggle and had helped out a few who seemed to think she had been a savior. She walked to the arena to find the sets standing and she gaped. The sets had been elaborate, but beautiful, each one personal in taste but equally amazing.

She saw Nico standing on stage with Reyna, reciting and she took a seat, watching him tug at his clothes nervously, but his lines were flawless. She felt her chest swell with pride at his obvious talent.When they finished Reyna motioned over to Hazel and Nico smiled at her as he ran to her.

“You came.” He said.

She punched his arm lightly. “Of course! How could I miss you playing Romeo? You were amazing by the way.”

He blushed and shuffled his feet. “Thanks. I kinda really like it.”

Hazel gave him a big grin. “You should. You’re fantastic up there.”

He gave her a smile and they walked out of the arena walking together.

They passed Will and when Will winked at Nico Hazel looked at his blushing and small face and Hazel gave him a wide grin.

When they got to the Hades cabin Hazel shut the door and crossed her arms, sly smile still plastered on her face.

“Okay, Nico di Angelo, what was that?”

He rubbed his neck nervously. “Will and I-”

He paused and Hazel grinned even wider. “You and Will what?”

He shrugged but gave her a hopeful smile. “We’re kinda together now.”

She also squealed but she clapped her hands and jumped. “Fantastic! _Finally._ ”

He raised an eyebrow. “Finally?”

She waved it off. “I suspected he liked you. It was only a matter of time until he acted on it. You couldn’t have. I love you, but you’re a chicken.”

“Hey!” He said, with indignation.

She giggled but continued. “I’m just saying. But I’m glad it worked out despite that ridiculous rule about no intergroup relationships.”

Nico blushed and frowned. “Right. . . About that. . .”

Hazel frowned. “Don’t tell me, you both haven’t told anyone?”

Nico nodded, looking down at his folded hands.

“Oh, Nico.” She said softly. She went to the cabin’s bathroom to change out of her old clothes and Nico just sat, hoping she’d keep his secret.

Just then the door burst open and Will shut it immediately.

“Nico!” He said happily.

Nico jumped in surprise. “Will. What are you doing here?”

Will smiled at him and pulled him into a hug. “I came to see you. It’s been torture with all these rules.”

Nico gave him a small smile. “I missed you too, Sunshine.”

As Will gave him a simple peck on the lips Hazel emerged from the bathroom.

Will jumped apart and Nico just rolled his eyes. “She knows, Will.”

“Oh, really?” Will said, cautiously taking Nico’s hand. They smiled at each other and Hazel grinned.

“I really have to say this camp has gone overboard with the whole Shakespeare thing. Did you know some Mercury kids have donkey ears?”

Nico chuckled. “Lou Ellen cursed the Stoll brothers.”

Hazel gave a smile and set her clothes down on one of the empty beds in the cabin. She sat down and looked between them.

“It’s only a week until the play.”

They both nodded.

“We know.” said Will.

“And you think you can keep this a secret until then?”

Nico shrugged. “It’s been two months.”

Hazel gasped and glared at him. “How could you keep this from me, Nico?”

Nico rubbed his neck nervously and looked at Will. “Well. . . I-I mean-”

Hazel giggled and punched him lightly in the arm. “I’m kidding, Nico.

He let out a sigh and gave her a half hearted grin. “Good.”

Will walked toward the door. “Well I’ll leave you two to catch up! Plus don’t want to get caught by everyone when my brothers and sisters come back from archery.”

Hazel and Nico smiled at him and he could see the resemblance in the dimples of their cheeks and the sincerity in their eyes.

Hazel smiled. “Nice to meet you, Will! Trust me, this secret is safe with me.”

He nodded and ducked out of the cabin.

It had been three weeks since Connor Stoll had seen Lou Ellen when he first woke up. She should have known the plan would backfire when she poured the potion over their eyes. It had paid off with Travis who was still fawning over Mrs. O’Leary and everyone thought he had gone crazy. But Connor was a late sleeper, and when Lou Ellen went to check on them she completely forgot that crucial fact. It was, in short, a complete fucking disaster.

Connor followed her around, complimented her, sat with her, got her everything she could ever need, and Lou Ellen hated it. She wasn’t ungrateful, she was annoyed. She would never mess with her mother’s ancient magic again as long as she could reverse the troubles with Connor. Travis had trailed behind Mrs. O’Leary all day and every time Lou Ellen saw him and his eyes met hers they flashed momentarily with blazing hatred. She’d just giggle and go on to instructing her arts and crafts.

When she sat at the campfire that night with Cecil and Will she noticed two things: Will and Nico had stared at each other quite a bit, and _was that a smile from Nico di Angelo?_ She would definitely have to talk to Will about that issue. Next she noticed that Connor had continually looked at her forlornly. She sighed and got up. She kept walking until she was a safe distance away from the campfire, knowing that Connor had followed her.

She spun around quickly. “You have got to stop this joke. I spiked your drink at dinner and you shouldn’t even feel anything romantic left.”

Connor looked at her for a minute before simply shaking his head. He walked away, sighing and muttering, “Densest girl I have ever met.”

Will walked over just as he left. “What was that about?”

Lou Ellen shook her eyes. “I have no idea.”

Will chuckled. “Might be about him being in love with you.”

Lou Ellen gave him a sigh. “Don’t joke about things like that.”

Will continued to stare at her.

Her eyes shot open. “Seriously?!”

He nodded. “Travis tells everyone about it all the time.”

“Except me!” Lou Ellen let out a groan and shook her head.

“That situation aside, you have explaining to do, Solace.”

“About what?” He said, eyebrows knit together.

Lou Ellen crossed her arms and smirked. “Why is Nico di Angelo smiling at you? Nico never smiles at _anyone._ ”

Will shrugged nonchalantly. “We’re friends, Lou.”

Lou Ellen grinned like a cat that caught the canary.

“Oh really? And is that not what I heard from Mitchell, who could have sworn for the past couple of months he’s seen people lurking about after dark. You know, walks by the dock, _kissing._ ”

Will cursed. “Lou, listen-”

Lou Ellen smiled deviously at him. “Save it. I already know. Just wait until everyone finds out. You better hope this lasts until the plays are done.”

Will gulped. “I’m betting all my drachmas on it.”

Lou Ellen didn’t even give it two days.

Incidentally, at that moment where Will Solace was having a relationship crisis, so was Lou Ellen. She had been helping out both groups, had been intermingling, and while doing so had effectively avoid Connor and Travis Stoll for the past few days.

Her mother was many things, but the goddess of luck was not one of them, and that is how she ended up training for archery when Connor and Travis Stoll showed up to the arena. She cursed as she saw them, but her bow managed to still hit the bullseye right on.

“Where did you learn to do that?” They both said in amazement.

She smiled. “Four older brothers, you learn a few things.”

Travis raised an eyebrow. “They taught you to shoot?”

She frowned at them. “What? No, they were jackasses, so I used them as target practice.”

Connor looked at her. “‘M sure your dad wasn’t too happy about that.”

She pulled another arrow from her quiver. “He’s a military man; told me to practice on

them when they got in trouble.”

Connor and Travis looked at each other as they whistled. “Remind us not to mess with you.”

Lou Ellen smiled mischievously. “That shouldn’t have been the only thing that should remind you. You both still look like jackasses.”

Travis frowned. “Hey by the way, that was not fair, I cannot get my mack on when girls keep staring at the ears. It hurts, man.”

Lou Ellen shrugged. “Serves you right.”

Travis and Connor continued on.

“And besides, we’re not here about that.”

Lou Ellen raised an eyebrow as she let got of the arrow and it landed on the mark once more.

“Then what are you here for? And if you’ve come to ask for favors I can swear to Styx that you will not be getting me to help you with anything for the rest of the summer.”

They sighed and Travis pushed Connor forward as if to edge him on. Lou Ellen watched them expectantly.

Connor looked back to his brother as though to give him an unspoken signal. Travis whistled as he began to walk towards the edge of the arena out of hearing distance.

Connor frowned as he opened his mouth but nothing came out.

Lou Ellen smirked. “Come to finally confess your undying love?”

Connor Stoll, for the first time ever, sputtered out his words nervously.

Lou Ellen just nodded. “Right, well now we know who’s the most articulate of the enigmatic Stoll brothers.”

Connor seemed to snap out his shocked state. “Psh, yeah right. Travis was definitely not blessed with intelligence.”

Lou Ellen smirked. “Right, and you were?”

“Hey! I’m certainly no slouch!” Connor looked at her accusingly.

She smiled. “No, you’re certainly not.”

He smirked, his casual confidence in effect. “So you agree?”

She rolled her eyes. He had managed to sound cocky, but she noticed his blush. “Someone’s got an inflated sense of self.”

He smirked. “Gotta have one, otherwise what else is there besides my stunning charm and wit?”

Lou Ellen rolled her eyes and gave him a light punch in the arm.

He smiled at her. “So about that love thing?”

She walked forward to the target and pulled the arrows from the target. She turned to him and smirked as she put the bows in her quiver. “Eat dinner with me tonight. We’ll start there.”

She walked out of the arena, only looking back once to find the Stoll brothers joining in together for an enthusiastic high five.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember to kudos, comment, and enjoy reading! c:
> 
> And one line of dialogue I used was taken from:  
> (http://ivebeenactinglikeiamstrong.tumblr.com/post/125478629691/what-we-actually-want-in-a-movie)  
> Just to give them credit. (:
> 
> By the way, the song Will sings, I imagined as the Twenty One Pilots song cover which can be found here:  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ThQkrXHdh4


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